Page 1 of 1 Launched at the 1998 Turin Motorshow, the Stola Abarth Monotipo does not in the slightest bit look like the Fiat Barchetta, which was used as a base for the project. Penned by ex-Pininfarina designer Aldo Brovarone, the Monotipo was conceived to showcase Stola's craftmanship rather than to be a fashion statement.

Mounted in the slightly stretched Barchetta chassis is a Turbo charged 'four' derived from Lancia's Delta Integrale. Slightly tuned, it is good for a decent 330 bhp. With a kerb weight of under 900 kg this is enough to propel the Monotipo to triple figure speeds in under 5 seconds. To cope with the high speeds it is capable for, the Monotipo is fitted with the same vented Brembo discs as found on the Ferrari F50.

The interestingly retro-styled body is made completely of composite materials, clearly displaying Stola's capability of handling this exotic material. Even more impressive is the perfect finish of the bodypanels. All transparent parts are not made of glass but of Isoclima Polycarbonate, which is also used in the aerospace industry.

While most concept vehicles get stored away or disassembled after their motor show duties, the Stola Monotipo has had a very active life. After various road tests for magazines, the car was driven by Stola in a wide variety of events like the 2002 Supercar Rally. We met up with it for the first time early in 2006 when it was stored in Stola's newly opened American office in Dearborn. It should be displayed at a variety of events in the Detroit area this summer. Page 1 of 1